Welcome Home
by NerdGirl95
Summary: What do two mannors, the Burrow, two shop flats, three cottages, a dragon reserve and two London homes all have in common? Why, they're all home to part of the Weasley-Potter clan of course! Journey with our favourite family as they laugh, cry, argue, marry, produce children and most of all, love each other. A series of oneshots about the Weasley-Potters after Voldemort's defeat.
1. Apple Pie and What it Brings

**Hi all! This is eventually going to be a collection of stories about the extended Weasley-Potter clan after Voldemort's defeat. It won't be in chronological order, and feel free to request anything at any time. This first one is just a bit of Romione fluffiness that presented itself to me. Enjoy!**

**Apple Pie and What it Brings**

He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. Merlin, they were barely nineteen, and she had only just graduated, literally minutes ago. But then he looked into her chocolate brown eyes and remembered just why he was doing it.

"Mione, you know I love you, right?" He didn't wait for her response, becoming more and more nervous by the second and just wanting to get it over with.

"I know we've had our differences. Merlin, just our existence is a difference. You're the brightest witch our age, and I'm just the amusing sidekick. You have brown, curly hair, mine is straight and ginger. You're a muggleborn, I'm Pureblood. You love reading, I can't stand it. You hate flying, it's my favourite hobby. But, when it comes down to it, our differences is what makes it work. But at the same time, I guess we have some things in common. I remember when I first discovered something I had in common with you. Like really had in common, not just being Harry's best friend or sorted into Gryffindor. It was the end of year feast in first year, and there was apple pie for dessert. You're face just lit up when you saw it, like it was the best thing that had ever happened to you. I realised that day that maybe we did have something in common – we both loved apple pie more than anything else in the world." Here he stopped, looking into Hermione's confused eyes. He couldn't really blame her, he'd just rambled on about apple pie for Merlin knows how long!

"Mione, that night I realised that there was something between us. Not necessarily romantic, but something other than the fact that we had both found ourselves on this crazy ride that is being Harry's friend. I kinda can't believe that it took apple pie for me to realise it, but oh well Anyway, since that night, despite our crazy differences, you've made me fall for you. Really hard, Mione. I love you so much it hurts, and I can't imagine life without you." By this time he knew she knew where he was going. But he couldn't help but tease her a little more.

He reached into the picnic basket and pulled out a freshly baked apple pie, still slightly warm. Putting the pie right in front of her, he said, "Pie Mione?"

She glared at him, but without any real heat, and properly looked at the pie for the first time since he brought it out. She gasped and, with tears in her eyes nodded emphatically. "Yes," she whispered, chocolate eyes locking with cerulean ones. "A thousand times, yes."

Ron reached down onto the pie, plucking a delicate ring off the crust and placing it on her finger. Needless to say, the pie was quickly forgotten, and when McGonagall passed the picnic rug hours later, she was surprised to see a lone apple pie with the words "Marry Me Hermione" created in the crust.

**A/N. Written for the Tour de Fiction 2013 using the prompt apple pie and song As Different As Can Be - AVPM**

**Written for the Song Fic Boot Camp using the song As Different As Can Be - AVPM and prompt fall.**

**I thought it was a little bit cute, but what about you? Just write in that box down there and let me know what you thought of it! NG.**


	2. His Teddy Bear

**A/N. Next up: Harry and Teddy! This was supposed to be a sweet little drabble about Harry meeting Teddy for the first time, but it somehow escalated into this. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!**

**His Teddy Bear**

It was almost a month before Harry could face him. It was slightly ironic, he thought as he walked up the front path, that a tiny baby could instill more fear in him than Voldemort. But it want s much the baby himself, but more what he represented. Teddy was everything he had fought both for and against – the child of a werewolf and a half-blood metamorphmagus, both outcasts, but a couple so very in love. But also an orphan, something Harry would wish on no one.

He didn't really know how he was going to look after this little boy – he had no idea what a father was supposed to be like. He supposed he had Arthur, and he was a good role model, but he only saw him in the holidays, never as an everyday disciplinarian, nor as a father of young children. And Bill and Fleur hadn't even thought of children yet. No, Harry was completely in the dark, but he was certain he was going to at least try.

When Andromeda put that tiny boy in his arms, Harry suddenly knew why his parents had died for him, and why Remus and Tonks had willingly done the same. Harry loved this little turquoise-haired baby so much it hurt, and he knew he would do anything for him, even if it meant giving up his life.

As he laid him back in his cot on his way out, he leant down, kissed the boy on the forehead and whispered "I love you Teddy Bear, now and forever."

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Harry really didn't want to believe it. Andromeda – a woman he had come to love as a sort of Grandmother – had just died. He knew that she hadn't really been the same since the Final Battle, and her aging body had finally succumbed to the battle that it had been fighting for almost a year now. He knew that she was now with her husband, daughter and son-in-law, but that didn't make it any easier for those she left behind. And among those people was a little turquoise-haired boy less than a month from his first birthday.

For Harry, there was only one option. Scooping the little boy up he apparated straight from St Mungo's to the Ministry, where he signed all the documents to ensure custody of the child. As Godfather, he now had the highest claim on him, and anyone who wanted to take Teddy away would have to get past him first.

The first few weeks were hard. Teddy would cry each night for the woman who had sung him to sleep every night since birth, and Harry would cry with him, mourning the loss of yet another loved one. But slowly things looked up, and each person entering Potter Manor would smile involuntarily as the sound of a child's gurgling laughter filled the house. And each night, as Harry tucked his Godson into his cot, he would lean down, kiss him on the forehead and whisper, "I love you Teddy Bear, now and forever."

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Teddy's first word was a shock to Harry, but no one else. They were all gathered at the Burrow for their weekly Sunday lunch, and all were doting on the tiny child sitting in the middle of the living room playing with a stack of blocks and his stuffed wolf. Harry had had to go into work to respond to an emergency, and the eighteen-month-old had been more than a little put-out.

Ginny had finally gotten him calm when the back door slammed, startling him, and sent him into another stream of tears. Before anyone could reach him however, a strong pair of arms had scooped him up and hugged him firmly to their owner's chest. Teddy looked up, ready to scream in the face of his captor, but instead let out an excited squeal. "Daddy!"

Harry froze in shock as the rest of the room looked on with goofy grins and tears in their eyes. "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Teddy was bouncing up and down in Harry's arms, his hair, still not quite under his control, whizzing through all the colours imaginable before finally settling on black perfectly matched to his Godfather. This seemed to pull Harry out of his stupor as he leaned down to place a kiss on the beaming face, whispering "I love you Teddy Bear, now and forever."

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The whole day had been a blur really. He remembered setting up the marquee, and being wrestled into his suit by Neville and the Weasley brothers – bar Ron, who was also being wrestled into his – before standing, trying not to look as nervous as he felt, under the arch of beautiful summer flowers. His breath had hitched as Ginny had walked down the aisle, and he was sure Hermione had had the same effect on Ron. Then it went blurry again, until Charlie announced, in a voice that he would forever deny was choked, that they were husband and wife. Well, husbands and wives, he thought wryly, looking at the other happy couple next to him.

Teddy had been their page boy, that fact was never up for discussion. He was as good as Harry's son, and Ron and Hermione viewed him as a sort of nephew. It was only natural that he play that role. He had given the boys some amusement as he toddled down the aisle on his wobbly two-year-old legs, concentrating so hard on not dropping the rings that his tongue was poking out of the corner of his mouth. If only Remus and Tonks could see him now, thought Harry as he watched his beautiful wife sail around the dance floor with him on her hip.

Suddenly there was a cry of "Daddy!" and a small missile had launched itself at his leg, giggling as he tried to hide behind him. "Daddy! Mummy's tickling me!" Mummy. Yes, he could get used to hearing her called that. He scooped Teddy up with one arm, and wrapped the other around his wife's waist. "We love you Teddy Bear, now and forever."

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"Daddy, is Mummy alright?" Teddy was looking up at him with such concern on his little, seven-year-old face, that Harry's heart melted.

"Of course Teddy Bear, Mummy's just a little tired that's all. Do you want to meet your little brother?"

Teddy approached the chair he was in with such a comical mix of excitement and trepidation that Harry had to really struggle not to laugh. Adjusting the little blue bundle, Harry pulled his Godson onto his lap. "Teddy, this is James. He's your little brother."

"Like Louis is Vicky and Dom's little brother?"

"Exactly. Do you want to hold him?"

Teddy held the tiny baby with such care and with such an innocent expression of love on his face that any doubts Harry had had about how he would act disappeared. "You're very good at that Teddy Bear."

"I'm gonna be a good big brother Daddy, I promise. I'm gonna love him forever and ever."

With tears in his eyes Harry kissed his eldest son on the forehead and whispered, "I love you Teddy Bear, now and forever."

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As they walked across the platform, weaving in and out amongst the throng of excited children, Harry couldn't help but remember the first time he had been here. A lonely little orphan, he had had no clue as to what he was supposed to be doing or where he was going. Now, looking at the boy who was clinging so desperately onto his hand, Harry realised that today Teddy could have easily been in the same position. But instead he was here with people who were, for all intents and purposes, his parents, along with his two brothers and sister, and countless Aunts, Uncle, cousins and Grandparents. Teddy may not have had any biological family left, but that hadn't stopped the Weasley family from opening its arms to yet another parentless boy, just as it had here all these years ago.

Harry was brought out of his musings by a small voice next to him. "Dad, are you sure it's all going to be ok?"

"Of course I'm sure Ted. I promise you that you'll love Hogwarts. I'm not promising it will all be fun and easy, but the Professors are really nice and I know you'll make lots of friends, not matter what House you are sorted into."

"You don't care if I'm not in Gryffindor?"

"Of course not. As long as you're happy, I'm happy. Always remember that Teddy."

Suddenly the whistle was sounding and there was a mad scramble to get onto the train before it left. Stealing one last moment with his Godson before they parted, Harry knelt down, wrapped the boy in a hug and whispered "I love you Teddy Bear, now and forever."

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He had known it was coming. It had been for the past seventeen years really, ever since he had witnessed a two-year-old Teddy keeping faithful watch over a newborn Victoire at more than one gathering at the Burrow. He had watched them as they grew up, always more than the surrogate cousin relationship he had with her siblings and cousins growing between them. Teddy's first two years at Hogwarts had been extremely hard on poor Victoire, but not as hard as last year.

Exactly a year ago today Victoire had been forced to go to Hogwarts without Teddy for the first time. Harry knew that they had only been friends then – but he also knew it wasn't going to last long. So as he stood with Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Lily and Hugo, Harry was not at all surprised at James' announcement that Teddy and Victoire had been snogging not five minutes prior. He also wasn't surprised to see the young man now staring longingly down the track as the Hogwarts Express disappeared, looking more than a little lost.

Gently roving Lily's hand from his own, he walked quietly up to his Godson. "You ok Ted?"

"Yeah, I guess. I'll just miss her."

"Trust me, I know the feeling. Ginny had an extra year at Hogwarts after the end of the war, and I wasn't exactly with her during her sixth year either. I promise you, it will get better though."

"Yeah, I know. Just like you promised I'd make friends at Hogwarts, promised I'd love having a sister as much as my brothers, and promised that failing one OWL was not the end of the world." Harry looked up at his tall Godson to see him sporting a smirk so much like his father's.

"Well, I was right wasn't I?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess you were."

Harry was then only mildly surprised to find himself engulfed in a hug, and used the opportunity to whisper "I love you Teddy Bear, now and forever."

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Turning to Ron George, Harry couldn't help but ask "Was I this nervous on my wedding day?" He then regretted it as soon as he saw the smirk on his brother-in-law's face. "Worse."

Privately, Harry disagreed. Teddy was pacing up and down at the front of the church, fiddling with the buttons of his suit and appearing to be in danger of decapitating the flower Ginny had so carefully positioned in his buttonhole. Eventually Harry couldn't take it any longer, and trode up to his Godson, taking him by the shoulders and looking straight into his eyes.

"Ted, calm down. You love her, she loves you. That's all that matters. In less than five minutes Victoire is going to walk through those doors, and trust you with her heart for the rest of your lives. That's a great honour Ted, and one I know you are up to. I believe in you, always know that."

"Thanks Dad. I did know all that stuff, I guess nerves just got the best of me. Me being married won't change anything, right? You'll still be there?"

Harry then did the only thing he could think of to reassure his Godson. Pulling him into a hug, Harry whispered the phrase he'd said countless times over the past twenty-two years. "I love you Teddy Bear, now and forever."

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Harry had had many proud moments in his life, but he decided that today was definitely the proudest. It wasn't that he had a new grandchild – this was his fourth, although in the eyes of the world he still had none. It wasn't even the fact that little Elijah Harry Lupin had been named after him. No, it was the scene that was playing out in front of him that truly hammered home the belief that he had done the right thing all those years ago.

Victoire was propped up in her bed, looking exhausted but the happiest he had seen her since the twins were born. Perhaps even happier now that she was filled with the knowledge that her family was finally complete. Five-year-old Leilani was curled up next to her mother, and three-year-old John and Eleanor had fallen asleep on Bill and Fleur's laps. She had just finished nursing Elijah and was staring into his clear blue eyes when her husband lifted him out of her arms and cradled him to his chest.

The whole room watched with happy tears in their eyes as Teddy bent down to place a kiss on his tiny son's forehead and whispered "I love you Elijah, now and forever."

**A/N Isn't little Teddy just so cute?! I love him! Anyway, back to sanity (not really, but as close as I'm going to get at this point!). What did you think? Please review and let me know, along with any events/characters you wish to see. NG. **


	3. Cliche

**A/N. Written for turn out fine's Story Beginnings Challenge, using the sentence ****_It's a bit cliché, but most love stories are._**

**Cliché**

It's a little bit cliché, but most love stories are. She supposes her's is a triple cliché – father forbids friendship with a boy, daughter dates him; girl has two guy best friends, she must marry one of them; girl has a brother or male cousin? Well, bring on the best friend then! And, as she is so often reminded by people who only know her as the daughter of the Brightest Witch of Her Age and Harry Potter's best friend, she is following in her mother's footsteps. You know, the whole marry the guy whose best friend is practically your brother thing. But really, it doesn't seem so cliché to them. In truth, their story is anything but cliché.

When they first met, she had every intention of following her father's wishes. Rose wasn't stupid, she had read all the history books before her Hogwarts letter had even arrived, and she knew full well what the Malfoy family was like. Well, she thought she did. She learnt the hard way that just because your parents are one thing, doesn't mean you are too. Really, she should have remembered it, hadn't she been taught that fact her whole life by family members that felt almost guilty that she and her cousins had to be subjected to their fame?

Once Albus befriended him, she knew she really had no choice but to at least be civil. She and Albus were practically joined at the hip, there was no way she could avoid his new best friend, even if she tried. It only took a couple of weeks though before she discovered that Scorpius really wasn't that bad. He was smart, funny, and actually kinda sweet when he wanted to be.

Soon, the trio were inseparable. They were in different Houses? Didn't make a difference. Sheer luck meant that Ravenclaw and Slytherin had multiple classes together, and really, there wasn't a rule anywhere saying you couldn't bring friends into your Common Room. By third year, Rose honestly could not tell you where she finished and Scorpius or Albus began. Normal teenage boy/girl rules didn't seem to apply to them. They hugged, pecked each other on the cheek and held hands without giving it a second thought. When Molly found the three of them sleeping in a jumbled heap on the floor of the Ravenclaw Common Room she didn't even bat an eyelid, instead covering them with a couple of blankets and threatening to hex anyone who dared say anything bad about them.

In all honesty, she should have seen it coming. But she was never one for clichés- they belonged in books. Her parents' lives had broken all the normal stereotypes and laws of possibility, so why should hers conform to it? When it did come, it came with no great epiphany, or with nights of crying herself to sleep or with weeks of teenage awkwardness. One day they just happened to be sitting in the Common Room – Slytherin this time – staring at the Christmas tree, when she gently took his hand and quietly whispered "I think I fancy you Scorpius." What followed was not a dramatic proclamation of undying love and affection, nor a heated snog session on the couch, but rather two best friends quietly talking about this new discovery. Because really, to her that's what it was. Another part of life that she had yet to explore and analyse, and she couldn't think of anyone else she'd rather discover it with.

The meet-the-parents bit was understated too. A simple introduction on the platform as they readied themselves to go home for Christmas. It was without formality, nor was there any big blow up by either father. In fact, if anyone had been watching, they would have had no idea that these two families were meeting for the first time in over twenty years.

She supposed there was that one cliché they fulfilled – they fell deeply and madly in love at only sixteen, never breaking up or even thinking about loving another. That was a sudden discovery, out by the lake in early October of their sixth year. They had just been laying quietly side by side, watching the sunset, when suddenly it came crashing over her, just what this boy next to her meant in her life. As the shock hit, she sat up suddenly, gasping for air, and when questioned, she turned to him with an almost wild look in her eyes and cried "I love you!" She guessed that was where the cliché ended though. She found herself suddenly being carried by a pair of strong arms and dumped unceremoniously in the lake. She eventually resurfaced to see her boyfriend laughing hysterically at her, and when he finally caught his breath, all he said as he wrapped her in his dry robes was "took you long enough."

They were engaged straight out of school – she realised that was probably a cliché as well. Both sets of parents had too, but they had just finished a war and were still learning that they didn't have to live day-by-day, that they could actually plan weeks, months, even days into the future. She and Scorpius had never had that worry, they had grown up in undisputed peace. But still, what was the point in waiting? They knew what they wanted, and neither of them was one to let go of their dreams.

But really, she mused as she looked down at the tiny baby with strawberry-blonde hair that had just been placed in her arms, it didn't matter if they were made of clichés or not. All she knew was that the past eighteen years were the best of her life, and the only thing she would tell her eleven-year-old self as she stepped onto the train would be to give that Malfoy kid a chance from the beginning, because an extra few weeks never hurt anyone. Ok, maybe it was a little cliché – girl meets boy, girl decides to hate boy, but they end up best friends within weeks. Girl falls in love with boy, they marry, have three children and live happily ever after. But she wouldn't have it any other way.

**A/N. So, I've read a bunch of fics that portray Rose and Scorpius as the next James and Lily - she hates his guts for years then suddenly falls in love. And I like those fics, but somehow the Rose and Scorpius in my head turned into something a bit different to all those portrayals. I hope you like this version of them as much as I do. Please review and let me know what you think, and as always if you want a specific event/character/paring etc in an upcoming chapter, let me know. I've also started posting my timeline for post-battle of Hogwarts, so if there's something there you want extrapolated on, let me know. Thanks for reading! NG.**


	4. Let Loose

**Let Loose**

_Scrabble Challenge: Loose_

Loose: Free from confinement or imprisonment; to release pressure or obligation from; to release from domination or control; to become free, independent etc.

They were free. _Free. _No one could remember the last time they truly felt free. Yes, they were supposed to have grown up in the time of peace, but suddenly all of their childhood memories seemed to have Dark shadows cast across them. They knew it was probably just their imagination, but they also knew that they had all been touched by the war long before they thought they had.

Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George – they all remembered that first war. Bill had been almost eleven when it had ended, and even the twins had been three. The five eldest Weasley's had grown up with memories of the fear and terror that surrounded everyone. They all had nightmares of seeing the Dark Mark above their Uncles' house. They knew what it was like to lose loved ones to the enemy.

Ron, Ginny – they had no memories of the first war, but Ron especially remembered that first few years, when people still lived in survival mode, when every shadow could have been that one Death Eater the Aurors had been unable to capture. They grew up with stories of the first Order, looking at the photos of their parents' friends. Ron had grown up knowing that he had two friends before the end of the war. Two little boys whose lives had changed forever after Voldemort's defeat. Ginny grew up listening to the heroic tale of Harry Potter, positive she would meet and marry him one day.

Luna, Hermione – they were the most untouched of the group. When your parents are either muggles or the outcasts of your society, you tend to not get involved in the wars between good and evil. But, unbeknownst to them, they had been affected. Oh yes, no one left that war unscathed. The war had led the Lovegoods deeper into their solitary existence, convinced that one of Mr Lovegood's animals or one of Mrs Lovegood's spells would provide a way to end the war. All of Luna's grandparents had been killed in the war, and after her mother died all she had left was her father. Even muggleborn Hermione had been seriously affected by that first war. Her older brother, already showing signs of magic at only five, had been found dead in the local park with no signs as to how. Her parents' practice had been vandalised and robbed by a gang of tens in dark cloaks. Yes, Hermione and Luna had been affected, though they didn't find out until after the second war had well and truly started.

Harry, Neville – almost anyone would argue that these two had been affected the most. Both had been lumped with a prophecy before they had even been born, and both had their lives changed because of it. Harry, who had lost his parents and all knowledge of the world he was born into. Neville, who had to live his whole life visiting parents who had no idea who he was. Both having to grow up with people who could never truly appreciate them for who they were. Both who had to sacrifice much to end the war.

But now it was over. The dead were buried, the funerals were over, the castle had been rebuilt. Those who had been wrongfully imprisoned, by both the Dark and the Light, had been released, and all remnants of the dictatorship that the Ministry had become had finally been done away with. Now they were just a group of young adults, standing on the cusp of a brand new age, each with new cars – both physical and emotional – but each a whole lot braver, stronger hardier than they were when they had first stepped foot in this castle.

None of them really knew why they were here, but by some unspoken agreement they had all ended up back here, where it both started and finished, to wander the halls that housed both their best and worst memories. But it was soon clear that this was not to be a sombre occasion – they had attended way too many of those in the past few months. No, here they were, the heroes of both wizarding wars, running through the castle laughing and screaming, happy, joyful screams once more, instead of the anguished terrified screams that echoed off these walls only months before. They were sure many would have been scandalised to watch Harry and Neville – the two boys who both started and ended the second wizarding war – being dumped unceremoniously into the lake by the Weasley brothers. Nor would much of the public be pleased to see Luna, Hermione and Ginny – those brave, strong heroines – chasing each other across the grounds, throwing dirt, grass and who-knows-what-else at each other before joining the boys in the lake.

But the public didn't understand. All of the ordinary witches and wizards had been bound by fear, and maybe the odd injury here and there if they were really lucky, throughout the whole wizarding war, first and second phases alike. But these young adults, they had been held captive by a lot more, both literally and figuratively. These kids – because really, that's what they were – had lost more loved ones in a year than many lost in a lifetime. They had acquired more scars in one night than a whole family could if they combined all the scars they got throughout all their lives. They had been held captive, they had been tortured, but above all, they had been given the responsibility of ending it all. Bill, Charlie and Fleur had all been in the Order from the beginning, and Fred, George and Lee joined later. Harry never had a choice, and so neither had Ron and Hermione. Neville, Luna and Ginny had all been so close to those fighting that they too had no choice – it was fight with them or be used against them by the enemy. But today none of that existed anymore. Today they were free. They had been let loose from the chains that had bound them their whole lives, and they could finally live their lives, because surviving didn't seem so hard anymore.

**A/N. Well, that escalated! I really hope that made sense! Anyway, thanks once again for reading, and reviews are greatly appreciated. Constructive criticism is welcome, just keep it polite :) Thanks again, NG.**


	5. Fairytale Scars

**Fairytale Scars**

Not all fairytales have a happy ending. That's the first thing I think when I finally see him. His eyes are bloodshot – from tears or lack of sleep I don't know, but it's probably a combination of the two. There are dark circles around his eyes, and his skin has gone pale, a sign that he has not been outside this house for the past two weeks. I guess I can't really blame him – he just lost the one thing he lived for. The one thing he had lived for for the past decade, give or take a year or so. It's the first real taste of the real world that any of us have had. Our parents – who were never really children – have made sure that we got the childhood that they never had. But now it's taken until James was 24 to realise just how cruel life can be.

A shrill cry breaks us both out of this strange staring contest we have gotten in to – me trying to find my brother in this ghost that has confronted me, James trying to find a semblance of normalcy in his first contact with the outside world. I follow him into the house, into the room that once belonged to our sister. Apt really, that she should be placed here. The second ever Potter baby girl in generations, sleeping in the room of the first ever Potter baby girl. Even the flowers on the walls fit – Lillies for Lily, Daisies for Daisy. I pause in the doorway, not knowing if I should go in. The scene inside is so special, and shows a side of James I never knew existed. My crazy, loud, fun-loving brother is sitting in a rocking chair, cooing to his tiny daughter. The daughter that would never know her mother. Despite myself, I feel my eyes tearing up. But I can't let them; I have to say what I came here to say.

"James, I want you to come to lunch at the Burrow with me." There is a reason I was a Slytherin, not a Gryffindor. It took almost all of my courage just to say that one, simple sentence.

"Albus, I can't. You know I can't." His voice is dry from unuse, and I can tell that even those seven words took a lot of effort. I am looking at the shell of my big brother, and I am not leaving until a bit of the old James has returned.

"James, you can't stay here forever. It's been two weeks, and while I know that this must be hard for you, you have a little girl who so far has only met her paternal grandparents. She needs this. And so do you, you know it."

He opens his mouth to answer me, but suddenly something comes over me and before I know it I'm dragging him towards the Floo, grabbing the baby bag that I know Mum has had made up for the past two weeks on our way out. I don't let go of James' arm until we are in the backyard of the Burrow, looking out at our parents, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, sister, cousins, nieces, nephews and the people who may as well have been our Aunts, Uncles and cousins. To the casual observer the yard is full to the brim, but I know we could fit countless other people in there if we wanted to.

"Look around James." I have to physically take Daisy off him to make him look up. Not exactly how I envisioned my first cuddle with my niece, but it's better than nothing. "Open your eyes and look. See all these people? We're all here for you James. Everyone here knows what it's like to lose someone special to us. Fred and Amelia lost their baby last year, all the adults here lost loved ones when they were younger than you and I. We may not have lost our wife James, but we all lost Lauren too. You are not alone James. Yes, it hurts. And yes, it will take a while to heal, but it will heal. Just another scar to add to your long list, only this one isn't as visible. But if you let us help, it will get better. I promise."

I walk away now, sitting down with Daisy next to Lily and week-old Henry. With any luck, these two will grow up to be great friends. Two-year-old Charlie comes over too, indignant that his Daddy is holding anyone but him, but suddenly he is in the air, squealing for joy. I look up, and once again tears threaten to fall, but this time they are happy ones. There is James, a small smile on his face, tickling my son whilst being introduced to his new nephew – I don't even know if he had known about Henry's birth before today.

You know what? I think James will be ok. Not because time heals all wounds – it doesn't. But love heals all wounds, and soon this one will be a mere scar, tender to the touch and always there, but no longer red, raw and bleeding. And that's all we can hope for really.

**A/N. Written for the Connect the Weasleys challenge with James/Albus: open your eyes; Scrabble challenge using the quote ****_"It has been said that time heals all wounds. I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue, and the pain lessens, but it is never gone."_**** -Rose Kennedy; Story Beginnings Challenge using the sentence ****_not all fairytales have a happy ending._**

**So, let me know what you think! Thanks for reading. NG.**


	6. Summer Boredom

**Connect the Weasley's challenge: Louis/Lucy - insanity**

**Scrabble Challenge: Boredom**

**Summer Boredom**

They were bored. And as anyone would know, two bored teens in the middle of summer holidays are never a good thing. Especially when said teens were cousins. Double especially when said cousins were Weasleys – anyone could tell you that the Weasley-Potter cousins were closer than what seemed possible, and prone to just a little insanity. Ok, maybe a lot of insanity.

Percy had taken one look at his daughter that morning and told her to go visit her cousins – one look was all it took to see that look of building boredom and insanity in her eyes, and he didn't want to be around to witness the results. As luck would have it, Lucy and turned up to Shell Cottage to find Louis in a similar state. Now, the only question was how to harness said insanity to get rid of said boredom. Pranks were pretty much out of the question – they were preparing for Dom's wedding in a few weeks, and Fleur was just a little highly strung. It amused Lucy a bit, that the mother of the Bride was a lot more stressed by the whole affair than the actual Bride was.

They spent almost an hour trying to come up with something to do, which only served to further both the boredom and the insanity. Louis briefly suggested climbing trees, but they soon realised that at 19 and 17 they were a bit too big for the few trees around, much to their disappointment. They had swum for a bit, before the wind picked up and made the water suddenly too cold. Which is how they came to be where they were now – chasing each other down the beach, squealing and laughing and pelting each other with sand. It was a bit like a scene from a romantic comedy Lucy mused, what with Louis grabbing her around the waist and sipping her, or running down the beach with her on his back, arms outstretched and hair flying behind her. Not that either of them cared – they were too insane for that.

As they lay side-by-side on the soft sand, laughing hysterically over nothing as they watched the sun set, they both thought about how lucky they were, how lucky they all were. To have people like their cousins who they could go insane with, people to fight boredom with. And even though they knew their parents would roll their eyes at them, and tomorrow they would probably have the same problem, tonight it didn't matter. Yes, they lived in insanity, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

**A/N. Thanks again to everyone who has been reading/following/favouriting/reviewing this story, it means a lot. As always let me know what you think. NG.**

**KicksAndGiggles: I hope you like this chapter, I wrote it with you in mind :) Also to answer your question from last chapter, the Fred referred to is Fred II. All chapters in this story take place after the Battle of Hogwarts, and will stick to what little information J. K. Rowling has provided us with about Net-Gen. This includes the fact that Fred I is dead. Amelia is an OC of mine who is a Muggle, and is the wife of Fred II. Hope that clears that up.**


	7. Broken Winged Butterfly

**A/N. Written for:**

**Connect the Weasleys Challenge - Dom/Roxanne: broken wings**

**Scrabble challenge - young**

**Song fic boot-camp - Broken Wings by Mr Mister, heartbroken**

**Broken Winged Butterfly**

Baby, I don't understand,  
why we can't just hold on to each other's hands?

She looked across the courtyard at the tiny figure huddled in a corner and wished once again that Victoire was still here, instead of leaving her as the oldest cousin at school. Not because she didn't love her cousins, no because she knew that Victoire could have handled this so much better than her. But she didn't really have a choice – and she was the one Hufflepuff in the family, wasn't this her area?

Roxanne didn't even look up as she sat next to her. In fact, it wasn't until she wrapped her arm around her slim shoulders that Roxie even acknowledged her presence. "What'cha doin' here Dom?"

It hurt to see that look in her eyes – that look of total heartbreak. It was a look Dominique didn't think was possible for one so young. Roxie was only twelve for Merlin's sake!

"What's up Roxie? What happened?"

"L-Lorcan is s-s-supposed to be m-my best friend" Roxanne was sobbing even harder now, something Dom hadn't thought was possible.

"Did you have a fight?" From what Lily had told her, it had sounded more boy-trouble than friend-trouble. But Lily had always been slightly dramatic.

"No. He k-kissed Maggie S-Snow" Ah, so it was both. First crushes always seemed like the biggest deal in the world; Dom had witnessed every one of her cousins go through it, but she had been hoping to keep the last three young just that little longer. Now it was just down to Lily and Hugo.

Roxanne was still sobbing, so Dominique did all she could do – grabbing Roxie's hand she started to rub circles on the back with her thumb, humming under her breath as she did.

Eventually Roxanne's tears dried up and she looked inquisitively at Dom. "What's that song you're humming Dom? It's pretty."

"It's a song my Grand-mère used to sing to my Maman, and she then sang it to Fleur and I when we were sad. Do you want to hear it?"

At Roxanne's nod, Dominique began to sing.

Take these broken wings,  
and learn to fly again  
learn to live so free.  
And when we hear the voices sing,  
the book of love will open up and let us in.  
Take these broken wings...  
Baby, I thing tonight  
we can take what was wrong  
and make it right.

"Heartbreak will come Roxie, maybe only once more, maybe many times. But remember you are young, and soon Lorcan will forget Maggie Snow and just be your best friend again, and who knows, maybe he will come to fancy you some day. But if he doesn't, that's ok because you're young and your whole life is ahead of you." Seized with a sudden idea, Dom stood up and held out her hands. "Jump up, my broken winged butterfly, because you're gonna be ok and someday you'll fly again, but for now, you can just have fun."

Ten minutes later when Lily and Lucy crept down to see if Dom had managed to comfort Roxie, they came across the pair dancing and spinning madly across the courtyard, with neither face betraying a care in the world.

**A/N. So, I'm not a big fan of that ending, but oh well. That's where it wanted to go, so I let it. Anyway, what did you guys think? Good, bad, indifferent? Please let me know! Thanks again for reading. NG.**


	8. Spider Web Baby

**Spider Web Baby**

It's funny really, those little moments that make up who you are. Something that may seem insignificant to one person, is the most important moment of another person's life. He would never tell anyone (because who would believe him really?) but 10-year-old Teddy Lupin had experienced a number of these moments in his short life. Though none were as life changing as today (and that part he could tell people, because none of them would come out of this unscathed). But really, this event is made up of many moments, spanning over many years, and to understand today you have to understand yesterday, and the day before that, and even the day before that…

Looking back, it really started when he was about five. Up until then he had never understood what those clear strings were that could make Uncle Ron cower in a corner, but today he knew. Today little Teddy Lupin discovered the beauty of a spider's web, and he knew his life would never be the same. None of the adults understood – how many five-year-olds do you know that can sit staring at an empty spider web for hours? Who includes a web in every drawing, sometimes big and obvious, and sometimes so well hidden only he can find them? Little Teddy Lupin did. At the time, he didn't know what fascinated him so much about a simple spider's web, but when he was seven he finally figured it out – it was how something could look so fragile, yet be so strong; how something could hang in one place for years, resistant against even the strongest wind, yet could be obliterated with on sweep of a hand or the head of a broom.

Over the years Teddy didn't lose his fascination with spider webs. James was not a week old before he was told about the wonders of a spider's web – that was right when Teddy was the most obsessed. Al was told about them when he was not even a day old, but only Teddy knew why he did it so soon. Al was the baby that almost wasn't, the baby that could have died today and Teddy wanted him to know all about spider webs before he went.

But today was different. Today, Teddy Lupin thought he might hate spider webs. Because here he was, standing with his face pressed up against the glass for the tenth day in a row, watching her. The baby who wasn't meant to be, who was a medical miracle. The baby who needed a miracle. That was his baby sister in there, the sister the doctors said he would never have, and the sister he would protect with his life. But out here, he couldn't do anything, stuck out in the hallway for the tenth day in a row while she was in there in that big plastic dome that Aunt Hermione said was a special crib to help her breathe.

So how do spider webs come into this? Simple – Lily was his new spider web. The pattern of her tiny veins against her mottled skin, not quite ready for the harshness of light. The way her chest rose and fell with the tiniest of movements, like the immovability of a web in the wind. The way she looked so fragile and breakable, yet he knew she was so strong. But he also knew from his spider webs that if someone really wanted to destroy a spider web, they could. If Death really wanted Lily – sweet little sider web Lily – then Death would have her. And that's why today Teddy Lupin, aged ten years and two months, decided that while he would always be fascinated by spider webs, a part of him would always hate them. Because if a spider web could be destroyed, so could his spider web baby.

Uncle Harry never did understand why Teddy insisted that a spider web always be left in Lily's room, nor why her first word was "spi'er 'eb". That is, until he watched Teddy comfort Lily with the story of the spider web baby as they watched another baby battle against lungs that were too small, a heart that was too weak and a fever that was too high, just as her mother had.

To Teddy, James and Al would always be his brothers and he would always love them. But little Lily Luna was his spider web baby, and no matter how old she got, he was always there to protect her from the hand that might try to wipe her away.

_Connect the Weasleys Challenge – Teddy/Lily: Spider web_

_Scrabble Challenge: fever_

**A/N. I love writing Teddy! Just to clarify, in my headcannon Ginny is told after Albus' birth that she is unable to have any more children, however somehow falls pregnant with Lily. Lily is born six weeks premature and spends the first month of her life in the NICU at St Mungo's. Even though James and Al would have no idea what was going on, I think that at 10 Teddy would understand just how serious the situation is, especially in that first week or so. Anyway, I hope that makes sense! Let me know what you think. NG**


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